Improvement in water-meters



' is placed UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ELIHU SPENCER AND E. L. MEYER, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEM ENT IN `WATER-METERS.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, ELIHU SPENCER and ERNEST L. MEYER, of Elizabeth, inthe county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Water-Meters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of a water-meter and box made according to my invention, the cover of the Valvechambcr being removed. Fig. 2 is a verticle cross-section in the plane indicated at x fr, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.'

In this improvement in water-meters we employ two cylinders and sliding valves, the valves workingin a valve-chamber common to both ofthem, and all being arranged togetherin aboxin whose rear side is placed the water-sup ply pipe. A crank-shaft which is connected with the pistons by a yoke gives motion, through a worm and gear-wheel, to a dial, which indicates, through a fixed index, the quantity of water discharged.

The letter A designates a box which incloses on allsides except the front an apparatus made and arranged according to our invention. A water-supply pipe, O, passes through the back side of the box into a valve-chamber, M, which between two pump-cylinders, B B, that stand on the bottom of the box, as shown in the drawings.

The letters i designate studs, which are cast with the box A and project from its inner side, so as to form supports and guides for the piston-rods C C and bearings for the crankshaft D.

I designates a stud, upon which is formed a spindle that carries a gear-wheel, F, upon whose face may be placed a dial. We have not considered it necessary to show such a dial because any skillful artisan can construct and apply one to the apparatus without further explanation. Upon the point of the spindle'is fixed an index, which remains station ary, While the gear-wheel F, which carries such dial, rotates behind it.

R R are two va1ve-seats formed within the valve-chamber M, to which are tted slidevalves N, ,whose valve-stems K are suitably attached by links to eccentrics G Gr, placed on the horizontal crank-shaft D, which is driven from the pistons C G.

J J are cranks placed on the shaft D and working in oblong slots Q, formed in the piston-rods' after the well-known method of converting reciprocating into rotary motion.

K K' K2 K3 are ports, which communicate `with the upper and lower parts of each cylin der, above and below its piston, and open through the valve-seats into the valve-chamber at such points that they may be alternately covered and uncovered by the slide-valves N.

The letters L L designate channels which communicate with the supply-pipe O.

When any of the ports or channels K K', Sto., are uncovered by the slide-valves the water is discharged from the cylinders into one of the spaces S ofthe valve-chamber, whence it escapes to the discharge-pipe P, to be used wheresoever it is conducted.

When the valves are in the position seen in Fig. l, the water enters the channels L and passes through the ports K to the lower part of the left-hand cylinder B, and also through the port K2 to the upper part of the right-hand cylinder, forcing the piston of the former upward and that of the latter downward. During such change in the pistons the water already in the cylinders will be forced out, that in the upper part of the left-hand cylinder passing through port or channel Kinto the upper space S, and that in the lower part of the right-hand cylinder through channel K3 into the lower space S. The spaces S, being always in communication with the discharge-pipe P, are cleared of water as fast as it runs into them.

We have shown the channels K K K2 K3 and channels L and the ends of the valves N as if they were made open; but we have done so only to illustrate their construction and the operation of the apparatus. They are to be covered, so that the valves N and channels L will only communicate with each other and with the channels K K K2 K3, and that the latter will communicate with the interior of the valve-chamber only when they are uncovered by the valves. The slide-valves are operated by the eccentrics of the shaft D. Between these eccentrics we place a worm-wheel, E, which works in a gear-wheel, F, whose rotations, with the aid of the fixed index T, maybe made the means of indicating` the number of strokes ofthe pistons or the quantity of water that has passed through the cylinders. The force or head of the water that comes through the supply-pipe is relied on to work the pistons.

It will be observed that in this arrangement of parts herein shown one piston is made to control the other, so that the dead-center in the revolution of one crank is overcome by the movement of theother.

The box A and the studs I I can be cast together; also, the cylinders and valve-seats R R can be cast in one piece.

The whole apparatus is arranged in its box A in a compact form, and is not easily liable to get out of order.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A water-meter made and arranged substantially as above shown-that is to say, consisting of two cylinders having a common valve-chamber between them, within which Valve-chamber are placed two slide-valves operated, substantially as described, by means of a shaft rotated by proper connections from the pistons of the cylinders, such shaft carrying a worm, E, which rotates a gear-wheel, F, whose spindle carries a fixed index, all as above set forth.

2. 'Combining the said apparatus mentioned in the preceding clause with an inelosing-box, A, in the manner substantially as above shown.

ELIHU SPENCER. ERNEST L. MEYER. Witnesses:

JOHN H. HOWLAND, THOMAS G. WARD. 

